Mama Rose's Turn
The True Story of America’s Most Notorious Stage Mother
by Carolyn Quinn
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Pub Date Nov 05 2013 | Archive Date May 27 2014
University Press of Mississippi | Hollywood Legends Series
Description
The full story behind the “Stage Mother from Hell” and every scandal too shocking for Gypsy: A Musical Fable
Hers is the show business saga you think you already know—but you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Rose Thompson Hovick, mother of June Havoc and Gypsy Rose Lee, went down in theatrical history as “The Stage Mother from Hell” after her immortalization on Broadway in Gypsy: A Musical Fable. Yet the musical was 75 percent fictionalized by playwright Arthur Laurents and condensed for the stage. Rose’s full story is even more striking.Born fearless on the North Dakota prairie in 1892, Rose Thompson had a kind father and a gallivanting mother who sold lacey finery to prostitutes. She became an unhappy teenage bride whose marriage yielded two entrancing daughters, Louise and June. When June was discovered to be a child prodigy in ballet, capable of dancing en pointe by the age of three, Rose, without benefit of any theatrical training, set out to create onstage opportunities for her magical baby girl—and succeeded.
Rose followed her own star and created two more: “Baby June” became a child headliner in vaudeville, and Louise grew up to be the well-known burlesque star Gypsy Rose Lee. The rest of Mama Rose’s remarkable story included love affairs with both men and women, the operation of a “lesbian pick-up joint” where she sold homemade bathtub gin, wild attempts to extort money from Gypsy and June, two stints as a chicken farmer, and three allegations of cold-blooded murder—all of which was deemed unfit for the script of Gypsy. Rose followed her own star, created two more, and pulled it off in dramatic and colorful style. Here, at last, is the rollicking, wild saga that never made it to the stage.Carolyn Quinn, Brooklyn, New York, is a historical researcher. She acts as consultant to playwright DeeJae Cox of the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Project, where a new play about Rose Hovick is in development. Quinn is also a member of the Ziegfeld Society, and serves on the Advisory Council of the Boo-Arts Theatre. Find her at www.carolynquinn.net
NOVEMBER, 368 pages (approx.), 6 x 9 inches, approx. 40 b&w illustrations, index
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Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781617038532 |
| PRICE | $35.00 (USD) |
Featured Reviews
Julia L, Reviewer
A Myrt's Review
Mama Rose's Turn - The True Story of America's Most Notorious Stage Mother by Carolyn Quinn
Forever immortalized in the musical 'Gypsy', as the ultimate stage mother, Rose Thompson Hovick's life was so much more than that of the single minded, brassy, iconic 'Mama Rose' of stage and screen. Both her famous daughters, child star and actress June Havoc and infamous stripper, Gypsy Rose Lee wrote books about their lives which presented wildly different perspectives of their childhoods. Gypsy's more humorous book was used as the very loose basis for the musical 'Gypsy, A Musical Fable' but the musical was taken as fact and the legend of Mama Rose, the stage mother from hell began.
The book is extremely focused and well researched. Quinn is definitely a fan of Rose's so much of her worst behavior seems to be a bit rationalized in the telling. The book gives a detailed look at Rose, starting with her European grandparents' arrival in the Midwest and Rose's childhood in North Dakota to Rose's first teenage pregnancy (a 12 pound Gypsy!) and her eventual taking of her two daughters on the road with a variety of birth certificates in preparation for any age requirements. Even her daughters were never quite sure of their specific ages. Rose's antics often go to the extreme and it's easy to see how she became the standard for all stage mothers to come to be measured by. Rose was volatile, manipulative, scheming and overwhelming at various times. She was banned from several venues where her daughter Gypsy was working. Rose was even accused of murder several times. In her later years she became a lesbian and never really had any strong male relationships. Most of her relationships, particularly with her daughters, were dysfunctional. She was always restless, working her next plan or scheme.
The book gives not only an in depth look at an intriguing woman and her need for stardom but it also provides a fascinating look inside the days of vaudeville and burlesque. It is definitely a good read about an unusual woman and the times she lived in.
I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
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